PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT FOR LOW SOCIOECONOMIC (SES)

STUDENTS

Marlon Williams-Clark

Concordia University

EDGR 535

Definition of Parental Involvement Parent involvement is the support and

participation of parents at home, in the community, and at the school site that directly and positively affect the educational performance of all children.

“Research shows that children do better in school and are less likely to drop out when fathers are involved. Engaged parents can strengthen communities, mentor and tutor students, and demonstrate through their actions how much they value their children's education.”

-Arne Duncan,U.S. Secretary of Education

Reasons why low SES parents are not involved Working all the time (DeTorres) Not comfortable around teachers (DeTorres) Feelings of inadequacy. For many parents, school was

not a positive experience. They may feel they do not possess the skills to help. (Dwyer and Hecht)

Perceive themselves outside the school system and feel it is the school's responsibility to do the teaching (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)

Feel ineffective, therefore don’t get involved (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)

Cultural and communication differences between teacher and families (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)

Schools are that welcoming (McDormott and Rothenburg, 2000)

Advantages and Positive Effects of Parental InvolvementThe children of parents who are involved are absent less frequently behave better do better academically from pre-school through high school go farther in school go to better schools

For additional effects parent involvement have read “15 Proven Effects of Parental Involvement in Schools” at http://www.braintrack.com/blog/2012/09/15-proven-effects-of-parental-involvement-in-schools/

Gurian, M. (n.d.). Involved Parents: The hidden resource in their child’s education. Retrieved March 26, 2013 from http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/involved_parents_hidden_resource_in_their_children039s_education

“The child’s first teacher is the parent”

-Unknown

What low SES parents can do themselves to be available

Organize their time Make daily routines for time for learning Do a few things at once Find someone to help

Mayer, E., Kreider, Vaughan, P. (1999). How busy parents can help their children learn and develop. Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/how-busy-parents-can-help-their-children-learn-and-develop

Suggestions for what low SES Parent can do with their children

Read to their children; then discuss those books and stories

Help your child organize his/her time Limit television viewing on school nights Check for completion of homework; if the

parent works at night, have a family member or neighbor to help with this

Ask questions about what the child has learned

Suggestions for what low SES Parent can do with the school

Attend parent teacher conferences If time for conferences are slim, build a

rapport with the teachers via email or telephone

Go to the school on days off to get caught up with what is going on at the school

Attend school events whenever available

Notice these are suggestions that won’t infringe on the busy lives of the parents.

What the school can do to increase parental involvement for low SES students

Be aware of different cultural backgrounds to understand how to communicate with the parent

Be more flexible to accommodate the availability of parents

Keep an updated web site Host events that bring parents and

family into the school, not just conferences

What schools can do (cont.) Create a warm, respectful and

welcoming school environment Provide a variety of resources for

parents, such as an after hours help line, emails with instructional help and tips for parents, and access online to see the teachers’ gradebooks.

What teachers can do

Encourage students to get feedback about their homework or something new they learned

Create web sites that announce what’s going in the class, class expectations, parent resources to help students in that particular class

References(n.d.) Improving student achievement and outcomes through parent and family

involvement: Tips and strategies for increasing parent and family involvement in Virginia schools. Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www.partnership.vcu.edu/documents/Partnership__Tips_and_Strategies_for_Increasing_Parent_Involvement.pdf

Mayer, E., Kreider, Vaughan, P. (1999). How busy parents can help their children learn and develop. Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/how-busy-parents-can-help-their-children-learn-and-develop

Gurian, M. (n.d.). Involved parents: The hidden resource in their child’s education. Retrieved March 26, 2013 from http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/involved_parents_hidden_resource_in_their_children039s_education

Detorres, M. (n.d). Investigating parental involvement. Retrieved from http://www.smcm.edu/educationstudies/pdf/rising-tide/volume-3/melissa-detorres-mrp.pdf

Dwyer, D., Hecht, J. (1992). Minimal parental involvement. Retrieved from http://www.adi.org/journal/ss01/chapters/Chapter20-Dwyer&Hecht.pdf

McDormott, P., Rothenburg, J. (2000). Why urban parents resist involvement in their children’s elementary education. The Qualitative Report, Volume 5, Numbers 3 & 4. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR5-3/mcdermott.html